The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success: How to Use Your Brain's Executive Skills to Keep Up, Stay Calm, and Get Organized at Work and at Home

Are you smart, scattered, and struggling? You're not alone. Cutting-edge research shows that today's 24/7 wired world and the growing demands of work and family life may simply max out the part of the brain that manages complex tasks. That's especially true for those lacking strong executive skills - the core brain-based abilities needed to maintain focus, meet deadlines, and stay cool under pressure.

Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential

If you're the parent of a "smart but scattered" teen, trying to help him or her grow into a self-sufficient, responsible adult may feel like a never-ending battle. Now you have an alternative to micromanaging, cajoling, or ineffective punishments. This positive guide provides a science-based program for promoting teens' independence by building their executive skills - the fundamental brain-based abilities needed to get organized, stay focused, and control impulses and emotions.

Taking Charge of ADHD, Third Edition: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents

From distinguished researcher/clinician Russell A. Barkley, this treasured parent resource gives you the science-based information you need about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its treatment. It also presents a proven eight-step behavior management plan specifically designed for six- to 18-year-olds with ADHD. Offering encouragement, guidance, and loads of practical tips, Dr. Barkley helps you make sense of your child's symptoms, get an accurate diagnosis, and more.

Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up: Help Your Child Overcome Slow Processing Speed and Succeed in a Fast-Paced World

Do you find yourself constantly asking your child to "pick up the pace"? Does he or she seem to take longer than others to get stuff done - whether completing homework, responding when spoken to, or getting dressed and ready in the morning? Drs. Ellen Braaten and Brian Willoughby have worked with thousands of kids and teens who struggle with an area of cognitive functioning called "processing speed" and who are often mislabeled as lazy or unmotivated.

Bright Not Broken: Gifted Kids, ADHD, and Autism

The future of our society depends on our gifted children - the population in which we’ll find our next Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, or Virginia Woolf. Yet the gifts and talents of some of our most brilliant kids may never be recognized because these children fall into a group known as twice exceptional, or "2e". Twice exceptional kids are both gifted and diagnosed with a disability - often ADHD or an Autism Spectrum Disorder - leading teachers and parents to overlook the child’s talents and focus solely on his weaknesses. Too often, these children get lost in a cycle of chasing diagnostic labels and are never given the tools to fully realize their potential.

The Out-of-Sync Child

The Out-of-Sync Child broke new ground by identifying sensory processing disorder, a common but frequently misdiagnosed problem in which the central nervous system misinterprets messages from the senses. This newly revised edition features additional information from recent research on vision and hearing deficits, motor skill problems, nutrition and picky eaters, ADHA, autism, and other related disorders.

Dr. Edward Hallowell - a veteran pediatric psychiatric clinician, best-selling author, and himself a man with attention deficit disorder (ADD) - teams up with Peter S. Jensen, M.D., one of the country's foremost academics on ADD and the father of an ADD child, to present a specific and detailed program for parents to assist their ADD child in finding success, health, and joy. Sure to become an invaluable parenting resource and a classic in ADD literature, this book will help parents unlock the gifts of ADD.

Overcoming Dyslexia

From one of the world's leading experts on reading and dyslexia comes the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and practical book yet to help one understand, identify, and overcome the reading problems that plague American children today. For the one in every five children who has dyslexia and the millions of others who struggle to read at their own grade levels, as well as for their parents, teachers, and tutors, this book can make a difference.

Delivered From Distraction: Get the Most Out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder

In 1994, Driven to Distraction sparked a revolution in our understanding of attention deficit disorder. Now a second revolution is under way in the approach to ADD, and the news is great. Drug therapies, our understanding of the role of diet and exercise, even the way we define the disorder, all are changing radically. And doctors are realizing that millions of adults suffer from this condition, though the vast majority of them remain undiagnosed and untreated.

Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them

School discipline is broken. Too often, the kids who need our help the most are viewed as disrespectful, out of control, and beyond help, and are often the recipients of our most ineffective, most punitive interventions. These students - and their parents, teachers, and administrators - are frustrated and desperate for answers. Dr. Ross W. Greene, author of the acclaimed book The Explosive Child, offers educators and parents a different framework for understanding challenging behavior.

8 Keys to Parenting Children With ADHD

Parenting children with ADHD, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed, can be challenging and complex. But just as a child who struggles with reading can learn to decode words, children with ADHD can learn patience, communication, and solution-seeking skills to become more confident, independent, and capable. This book, rich with optimism, tips, tools, and action plans, offers science-based insights and systems for parents to help cultivate these skills.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

Internationally acclaimed experts on communication between parents and children, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish “are doing for parenting today what Dr. Spock did for our generation” (Parent Magazine). Now, this best-selling classic includes fresh insights and suggestions as well as the author’s time-tested methods to solve common problems and build foundations for lasting relationships.

Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life

Self-Reg is a groundbreaking book that presents an entirely new understanding of your child's emotions and behavior and serves as a practical guide for parents to help their kids engage calmly and successfully in learning and life. Rooted in decades of clinical practice and research by leading child psychologist Dr. Stuart Shanker, Self-Reg realigns the power of the parent-child relationship for positive change.

The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain

Dyslexia is almost always assumed to be an obstacle. And for one in five people who are dyslexic, it can be. Yet for millions of successful dyslexics - including astrophysicists, mystery novelists, and entrepreneurs - their dyslexic differences are the key to their success. In this paradigm-shifting book, neurolearning experts Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide describe exciting new brain science revealing that dyslexic people have unique brain structure and organization.

Your toddler throws a tantrum in the middle of a store. Your preschooler refuses to get dressed. Your fifth-grader sulks on the bench instead of playing on the field. Do children conspire to make their parents’ lives endlessly challenging? No - it’s just their developing brain calling the shots! In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the best-selling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson demystify the meltdowns and aggravation, explaining the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures.

Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD

Smart but Stuck offers 15 true and compelling stories about intelligent, capable teens and adults who have gotten "stuck" at school, work, and/or in social relationships because of their ADHD. Dr. Brown highlights the often unrecognized role that emotions play in this complex disorder. He explains why even very bright people with ADHD get stuck because they can focus well on some tasks that interest them, but often can't focus adequately on other important tasks and relationships.

Anxiety is the number one mental health problem facing young people today. Childhood should be a happy and carefree time, yet more and more children today are exhibiting symptoms of anxiety, from bedwetting and clinginess to frequent stomach aches, nightmares, and even refusing to go to school. Parents everywhere want to know: All children have fears, but how much is normal?

How ADHD Affects Home Organization: Understanding the Role of the 8 Key Executive Functions of the Mind

Do you walk in a room to organize and find yourself paralyzed and overwhelmed? Do you find yourself spending money on organizing solutions that don't work? Organizing isn't easy. And having ADHD doesn't make it any easier. But it doesn't have to be impossible.

The Awakened Family: A Revolution in Parenting

We all have the capacity to raise children who are highly resilient and emotionally connected. However, many of us are unable to because we are blinded by modern misconceptions of parenting and our own inner limitations. In The Awakened Family, I show you how you can cultivate a relationship with your children so they can thrive; moreover, you can be transformed to a state of greater calm, compassion and wisdom as well.

Alissa Sherman says:"This is the only parenting Book you will ever need!"

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood

Lisa Damour, PhD, director of the internationally renowned Laurel School's Center for Research on Girls, pulls back the curtain on the teenage years and shows why your daughter's erratic and confusing behavior is actually healthy, necessary, and natural. Untangled explains what's going on, prepares parents for what's to come, and lets them know when it's time to worry.

The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love of Learning

While other books tell you what dyslexia is, this book tells you what to do. Dyslexics' innate skills, which may include verbal, social, spatial, kinesthetic, visual, mathematical, or musical abilities, are their unique key to acquiring knowledge. Figuring out where their individual strengths lie, and then harnessing these skills, offers an entrée into learning and excelling. And by keeping the focus on learning, not on standard reading the same way everyone else does, a child with dyslexia can and will develop the self-confidence to flourish in the classroom and beyond.

Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness: A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything

Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness emphasizes how the teacher's personal familiarity with mindfulness plants the seed for an education infused with attention, awareness, kindness, empathy, compassion, and gratitude. The book follows a teacher from morning to night on a typical school day, at home, during the commute, and before, during, and after class.

The Opposite of Worry: The Playful Parenting Approach to Childhood Anxieties and Fears

Whether it's the monster in the closet or the fear that arises from new social situations, school, or sports, anxiety can be especially challenging and maddening for children. And since anxiety has a mind of its own, logic and reassurance often fail, leaving parents increasingly frustrated about how to help. Now Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD, the author of Playful Parenting, provides a special set of tools to handle childhood anxiety.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

"True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are." Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives - experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization.

Publisher's Summary

There's nothing more frustrating than watching your bright, talented son or daughter struggle with everyday tasks like finishing homework, putting away toys, or following instructions at school. Your "smart but scattered" child might also have trouble coping with disappointment or managing anger. Drs. Peg Dawson and Richard Guare have great news: there's a lot you can do to help.

The latest research in child development shows that many kids who have the brain and heart to succeed lack or lag behind in crucial "executive skills"-the fundamental habits of mind required for getting organized, staying focused, and controlling impulses and emotions. Learn easy-to-follow steps to identify your child's strengths and weaknesses, use activities and techniques proven to boost specific skills, and problem-solve daily routines. Small changes can add up to big improvements-this empowering book shows how.

The most useful parts of this book are worksheets that you fill out, and tables that you refer to to make plans. This just does not translate well to being read aloud. You can't flip back and forth between chapters (and there are lots and lots of references to see Chapter 3 or whatever.) You can't skim over the sections that don't apply to your child's age or situation.

So, as much as I'm a fan of audiobooks, I'd recommend getting a paperback edition. Even Kindle would be difficult to photocopy, but it might work out if the format of the tables is preserved.

The book itself is decent, perhaps a bit simplistic, possibly a little wordy. Most solutions boil down to making a list of steps and following them.

If you could sum up Smart but Scattered in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, detailed and thorough! I have the hard copy of this book & read it some months ago. I decided to listen to it again through Audible because there's a lot of information in the book & I wanted a refresher.

Overall, I believe in this approach of teaching executive skills & I found this book to be the most thorough on the subject. In my opinion, following the program requires a moderately high level of executive skill development on the part of the adult parent. As I progressed through the book, I increasingly felt that my own executive skill level apparently needed further development. I recommend this book & feel the hard copy could be a good supplemental if you intend to institute this program within your family.

Any additional comments?

Overall, the information contained in the book was well worth the time required to complete it. This is a subject that requires more than just surface understanding & a moderate amount of planning. Perhaps that seems like a novel concept in this modern, microwavable macaroni & cheese culture in which we live!!

The first part was good and then for each chapter in how to improve the skill, the same type of information was just recycled. Once you got the jist of what they were on about there was no need to go through every single one to bore you to death. I couldn't finish it.